Samsung announces 1.5GHz Exynos chipset, 16MP camera

Samsung have the luxury of making their own chips and they are quick to put out new and better versions of them. The Exynos chipset, which debuted with the Samsung Galaxy S II at a 'mere' 1.2GHz is getting a 1.5GHz version, called the Exynos 4212.
Samsung also has a pair of high-end mobile...

So why do they do it? Because increasing megapixels SELLS CAMERAS. Why does it sell cameras? Because the public is largely UNINFORMED about the detrimental effects of increasing megapixels on image quality.

It is a purely marketing decision where the profit motive reigns supreme. They wouldn't care less if image quality suffers, as long as rubes continue to buy into the megapixel myth.

> In reply to jackhammeR @ 2011-09-29 13:38 from mM%A - click to readLol. Are you kidding. First off Samsung is among the top in photo quality in cameras and cell phones alike. Secondly its a 16mpx so that should help too. Third who said that the higher iso was to compensate for quality? You just pulled that out of air. It's not like other camera phones and cameras have 1600 iso or anything.

> In reply to Tsarli @ 2011-09-30 03:17 from P@YW - click to readI aint a fan of high megapixel cameras nor a photography enthusiast by any stretch (indeed you're right), but I don't think developers will pursue to make upgrades just to lessen the quality of their products. Anyways if you insist for a 8mp phone, then stick for the currently existing phones. Not to mention you've got lots of choices out there.

If IMAGE QUALITY is important to you then you have EVERYTHING TO LOSE by choosing a 16mp camera phone over an 8mp one. In entry-level P&S digital cameras, an increase in megapixels most often invariably leads to a DECREASE in Image Quality (more noise, artefacts, etc.) No reason to think it will be different here.

If you think you've actually "gained" something by choosing a 16mp camera phone over an 8mp version just because they're similarly priced then I've got a bride to sell you. It proves two things: one, you are probably not into photography, and two, you are precisely the reason why the megapixel race still exists.

> In reply to Anonymous @ 2011-09-29 21:44 from MFMJ - click to read16mp is just an additional feature, lol. if you want 8mp then go for it. You can't say 16mp is useless, technology is improving over time. And after all a $1,000 phone before is far imperior to the phones of today with the same price. therefore we may not see a dramatic increase of price in 16mp phone. you got nothing to lose on choosing that 16mp phone over 8mp one, it's still a win to win decision.

which one will you choose,
a 8mp phone with a price of $1,000
or a 16mp for $1,000 too.

first of all, the size of the sensor defines the dinamic range of the picture, and matters a lot to the overall quality of the image, that's the reason why 35mm cameras have less image quality than 6x6 cameras, for example. If you look at Canon G series, G12's 10MP, and G10 was 14, and G12 pictures are better. Resolution by itself does not make better pictures. As for the 16MP sensor, who needs such resolution on a phone? You want better pictures, buy a camera, even a medium compact takes better pictures than a phone, any phone you want. Of course you want a phone camera capable of taking a picture for souvenir or something, but 8MP's enough for that, 16MP won't give you professional quality photos, and it's way to much for phones, smart or not. just my 2 cents...

But of course that means higher technology, so making the sensor bigger is a cheap way of adding more precision.

>>just like the 8mp quality is no better than a 5mp camera.

no.

it is a LOT better, because it can capture 60% more details in appropriate light conditions (assuming photodetector sensitivity and device build quality is roughly the same)

And there's companies who have devices with good cameras (Sony, Nokia etc), and companies with not so good cameras (Samsung, Motorola, LG etc), and companies with horrible cameras (Apple etc) so it depends here what 5 and what 8 mpix camera you're talking about.

Also, for an awesome camera with insane resolution, check out that pink japan-exclusive sony ericsson S003 phone. Google some samples and check out their quality. Nokia's 12mpix N8 is also pretty okay. See, huge res phone cameras CAN be done right.